James Johnston papers

James Johnston was born in New Jersey on December 15, 1821 and died in Pierceton, Indiana on July 30,1897. He was orphaned when two years old and lived with strangers until he was fourteen, at which time he went to live with a sister. He learned the tailor trade and worked at that for a number of years. As an adult, he lived in Hagerstown, IN for about eight years, and there he became licensed to preach, beginning his ministry in the North Indiana Conference in 1853. He served many appointments until he "retired" in 1883, at which time he made his home in Pierceton, although he continued to preach often, taught a Sunday school class and generally looked after the temporal and spiritual interests of the church. His first wife died in 1878, and in 1881 he married Sarah M. Long. He was the biological father of eleven children and was regarded as a father by two others.